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ALBUM REVIEW

Michete

Cool Tricks 2

Released March 2016

“Squawk!,” the delightful second track on Michete’s 2016 record, Cool Tricks 2, is a joyful ode to confident absurdity. Few rappers in this town have the courage to be so wildly funny, while at the same time so incisively devastating. Michete takes no prisoners: “Want to know where your career’s headed? Straight to the trash like an unwanted email.” And, as if to demonstrate commanding dominance, in the next verse is making chicken noises. I laugh so much while listening to this fierce flow. It’s definitely very “ill with the jargon,” rhyming obscurities like “Modus operandi” with “Klondike.” Over these eight tracks, you will get very comfortable with the word “pussy,” as both a dis and a statement of feminine power. The electro-funk of “Come Get It, Daddy” is the most-played track on SoundCloud. It’s a confessional spoken word featuring up-and-comer Reverend Dollars—of Darqness fame and thrower of fun queer and trans hip-hop DJ parties. This song probes the ways in which we feel uncomfortable being ourselves, while urging an honesty with who we aspire to be. There are many of these insights throughout the album. As on “Tim Nook,” where Michete says, “I hate capitalism, but I’m also really good at it.” What a fascinating listening experience.